What Are The Rhetorical Devices Used In Jfk Inaugural Address

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On January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy made his inaugural address to the nation. He stood in front of the podium to convince citizens that he is the best person to turn the country around. He used experiences from the past, such as war, poverty, and the need for peace to get the attention of those who wish to see change within the country as well as countries we work with. Kennedy spoke in a way to to persuade the american people, as well as the soviet union to come together. In this speech President John F. Kennedy used ethos, pathos, and logos as well as other rhetorical devices to convince his audience. His speech contained persuasive appeals such as logos and pathos. Kennedy says “This peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers...our neighbors know we shall join with them to oppose aggression anywhere…let every power know this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.” This strong quote corresponds with pathos, it pertains to the emotion of hope and courage that the U.S. needs to maintain its high ranking status among other countries. This shows that he wants us to be ready for anything …show more content…

Kennedy used repetition by saying “The instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace.” This means that war is mostly used to try and solve problems more than peace. The second device that was used is parallelism. He said “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divides us.” Then Kennedy goes on to say “Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah-to “ undo the heavy burdens..and to let the oppressed go free.” This is to say, both nations that are troubled, can fix problems collectively instead of attacking and arguing with each other about issues. These issues ultimately become reasons why we divide and are not able to help each other in the long

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